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| Army Chief presents gallantry award to 16 Army personnel | | |
New Delhi, Jan 15
Chief of Army Staff, Gen JJ Singh presented gallantry awards of Sena Medals to 16 Army personnel at an impressive parade here today marking the Army Day. It was on this day in 1949 that for the first time an Indian Field Marshal (then General) KM Cariappa took over as Commander–in-Chief of the Indian Army. Since then, 15 January is celebrated as the Army Day, and an impressive parade is held at Delhi Cantonment on this occasion. Gen JJ Singh also presented unit citations to seven units for excellence in performance as a team.
Besides, Gen JJ Singh who inspected and addressed the parade, the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh and the Air and Naval Chiefs also took salutes. Maj Gen PC Bhardwaj, GOC of Delhi Area, commanded the parade.
Major Manesh Kukreti of Jat Regiment received the Sena Medal for the second time. Four of the gallantry awards have been posthumously given away. Mrs Angela Rathi received the martyr Major Amit Rathi award from Armoured Corps, while Mrs Ranjeet Kaur received the award to martyr Naib Subedar Avtar Singh of Sikh Regiment. Mrs Baljeet Kaur, mother of martyr Sep Roshan Singh of Punjab Regiment and Mrs Mahadevi mother of martyr Sep Sundra N of Maratha Light Infantry, also received the awards.
36 Rashtriya Rifles received the Unit Citation for a record fourth time, while 3 PARA (Special Forces) received it for the third time.
Contingents from eight infantry regiments and one TA battalion (Maratha Light Infantry) took part in the parade. The highlight of the parade was the contingent of maroon berets, the elite Parachute Regiment. This contingent attracted special attention and applause for its march past in combat gear, singing ‘Kadam Badhaye Ja’, as they passed the saluting dais. The Parade also showcased Reporter Radars, Mobile Base Trans Receiver Station, Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) mobile mode and Mobile Decontamination Station for the first time. It was also for the first time that a tableau of the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) formed part of the parade. The tableau depicts equestrian sports, breeding of horses and army dogs at work. A fly past by the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was also the part of the parade. A daredevil display by the ‘Shwet Ashw’ motorcycle display team of the Corps of Military Police (CMP) was the grand finale of the parade.
In his address, the COAS commended the excellent Turnout and Drill of the parade. He described 2006 as a historical year for the Army in many ways. The salient aspects being the war doctrine and the modernization drive. In J&K the army had maintained relentless pressure on the anti national elements throughout the year, while maintaining a commendable human rights record through its policy of “Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove”. The Army was well on the path to all round modernization, with induction of the SMERCH and Pinaka System, the Army Wide Area Net Work (AWAN), the Ascon Phase III among others. In the coming years, Army is looking to introduce Mobile Cellular Communication System, initially in the Northern Command sector. He also commended the performance of the Army sportspersons in the recent Asian and Commonwealth games. He also elaborated on the various improvements introduced for serving personnel, veterans and their families.
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